“Tis pity love should be so tyrannous.”
Hippolyta, in The Two Noble Kinsmen Act 4, Scene 2
“Our reasons are not prophets when oft our fancies are.”
Emilia, Act 5, Scene 3
Goal accomplished! Almost 13 years ago, in fall 2012, this class started with the aim of reading aloud all 37 of Shakepeare’s plays. This summer we will conclude the class by reading the 38th play now included in the Shakepeare canon: The Two Noble Kinsmen. Shakespeare co-wrote this play with John Fletcher. It is based on the first story in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, “The Knight’s Tale” (which was based on a yet earlier Italian narrative poem by Boccaccio).
The drama involves a love triangle. The cousins of the title characters, Palamon and Arcite, fall out over a woman they spot from their jail cell after they are captured in battle. Once they are out, the object of their interest, Emilia, cannot decide which cousin she likes more. You will have to read the play to see how this is resolved (spoiler alert: this play is described as a tragicomedy).
The group reads orally in round robin manner, stopping for informal discussion as the group desires. Mispronunciations welcome! You must have your own unabridged version of the play to read. Various editions pose no problems. The class began by meeting in-person but moved to the ZOOM format during the pandemic. We have continued to meet via ZOOM because it has worked well for this class.